Quiet guy Phillips speaks his mind

University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips is so quiet during games teammates have described him as mute.

So imagine the surprise when Phillips loudly addressed the team last weekend. He was the most outspoken when the Hurricanes trailed by four touchdowns at halftime against North Carolina and led a team meeting the next day after the 33-27 loss.

"They know I'm not the type of guy that's going to say anything," Phillips said. "If I say something, they know it's coming from the heart."

Phillips' actions show frustrations are mounting for the defense, which has been shaky at times. It has struggled on different occasions with pass coverage, quarterback contain and most recently against the run. North Carolina rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, the bulk coming in the first half. Tar Heels running back Anthony Elzy had his season-high for yards by the first quarter.

Phillips, who led the team with nine tackles and a forced fumble, felt he had to speak when the Hurricanes entered the locker room. It is usually a time for coach Randy Shannon to offer his thoughts, but Phillips talked as he stood in front of the chalkboard.

"I was just talking about how we felt," Phillips said. "Coach wanted some answers because we were not performing like he felt we should have. No one was saying anything, so I felt I had to do it."

The speech worked. The defense played like a different team, allowing just six points in the second half. Some of it could be attributed to the players being motivated by Phillips. A junior preseason All-American, he rarely speaks and is considered one of the Hurricanes' most mellow players.

"To see him out there and talk to us during halftime really sparked us," cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke said. "This guy had never talked to us. So we had to go out and finish for him."

UM didn't quite get the finish it wanted. The added defensive intensity and improved second-half offense could not offset two fourth-quarter turnovers. The Hurricanes left with an upset loss that prevented a return to the Top 25 rankings. The disappointment caused Phillips to surprise his teammates again. On Sunday, he spoke during the defensive team meetings as UM began preparation for Saturday's home game against Georgia Tech.

"I think Kenny let everyone know on Sunday what the problem on defense is," Shannon said. "He spoke up and let everyone know what needs to get done. When a guy steps up in front of everybody and mentions what we need to get done on defense the right way, that's a leader."

Phillips has preferred to lead by example since becoming a starter early in his freshman season. He said in the preseason his goal was to become a more vocal leader, and he expects to do it more frequently.

"I just want to continue doing what I'm doing, just leading by example," Phillips said. "If I need to speak, I will. Maybe we're not self-motivated. Sometimes you need to feed off somebody else. I guess I need to be that guy."